Jump to content

For the music lovers in the den...


ThoughtFox

Recommended Posts

Classical music mainly for me.

 

Top of my list and I've heard many of the greats live.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g0QjwGkIEA

 

....

 

 

As good as it gets.

 

 

OFF

 

Generally, I'm not enthusiastic about purely instrumental arrangements of the Schubert Lieder. It's too much like NPR's Bowdlerized playlist they pass off as classical. I suppose because as soon as most US Americans hear anything remotely resembling operatic singing, they're off to another audio program. So we get "Staendchen" arranged for jawharp and didgeridoo. No offense against jawharp or didgeridoo, but there's something to actually listening to the piano vocal that Schubert imagined that's important. That's why I prefer Bayern4Klassic and even Bartok Radio Budapest to US classical programming. All that said, I was fascinated with this solo violin performance of "Der Erlkoenig." Hahn was able to capture the essence of the piano's horrisonant tremolos along with the shrill vocal line. For once I heard a purely instrumental version of a Schubert Lied that actually added to my appreciation instead of being a cheap substitute for the real thing.

 

Thanks, OFF

 

frugalfurguy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 205
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • JGalanos

    109

  • ThoughtFox

    17

  • Worker 11811

    15

  • White Fox

    7

  • 2 weeks later...

Not sure if this is gonna be related, but thought it only fair to warn you all:

 

I'm gonna start learning to play the guitar again!! So be prepared for all your fave tunes (well, the easy ones) to get totally murdered by me!!

 

UJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh oh! UncleJoe's opening that guitar case .... again! Quick get me my ear muffs so he can play as loud an long as he wants!

 

frugalfurguy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=J2-SZyFZK1U&feature=related

 

Heard this song playing at the store tonight while I was picking up gourmet cat food for my finicky eaters. Had not heard it in a long time. One of my favorite "Bond" songs.

 

For your eyes only, the nights are never cold.

You really know me, that's all I need to know.

Maybe I'm an open book because I know you're mine,

But you won't need to read between the lines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rILaahrijDQ

 

Further proof that I'm as square as they come ... This was the first single (45 RPM) I ever bought ... I still can't help but sing along ...

 

But she has faith in me, and so I go on trying faithfully

And who knows maybe on some special night, if my song is right

I will find a way, find a way...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I listened to Queen's "The Miracle" album today (I think this was from around 1989). I didn't like most of it. The Miracle", however, is such a beautiful song that it actually makes the entire album worthwhile! It has a strong melody but also shifts into surprising territory with a sparkling finish involving an electric guitar cadenza and a resolution that is not a million miles from genius! The lyrics are simple and direct but also profound. I guess some might accuse Queen (actually I suspect that this song is principally the work of their most talented songwriter, Freddy Mercury) of relying on easy sentiment, i.e. "peace on earth", etc. but it actually comes across as sincere and I find the song genuinely moving - one of the most underrated in the Queen oeuvre. "I Want it All" is OK. An enjoyable Rock song but not particularly original. "The Invisible Man" is uninteresting as is just about everything else on the album. As usual with this group, their considerable musicianship helped to conceal their weaknesses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, I forgot to post the link to "The Miracle" song. Listen carefully to the end of this song. One of the things that impresses me most about the ending is that a natural conclusion to the song would have come just prior to the guitar cadenza. Had they finished it at this point, it would have made perfect sense. However, what they do instead - in leaving it hanging unexpectedly, creating a striking musical contrast between the powerful, forward-driving effect of the electric guitar and a slow chorus and then resolving the tension - is so brilliant and so inspired. It's a kind of imagination that is far too rare in popular music today and certainly at the time when this song was written. Here is the link:

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6Gu0eDRc98c

 

I'm not keen on the vocal overlayering which Queen always did to excess, often overlayering just a single vocal (which I find unattractive to begin with). This song does suffer a bit from that treatment, unfortunately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=g5yG1Dy5b4A

 

One of Sondheim's greatest songs ... Sung by one of our national treasures (who I will be seeing in concert the weekend of my birthday this fall).

 

Just when I'd stopped

Opening doors,

Finally knowing

The one that I wanted was yours,

Making my entrance again

With my usual flair,

Sure of my lines,

No one is there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Queen are one of my favourite pop groups. Here are some songs from the Innuendo album together with my immediate thoughts on hearing them again:

 

Innuendo

Would have been an great song had it not been ruined by a Flamenco-styled guitar section that has no relevance to what comes before or after. It is obvious that the group didn’t know what to do for the mid section and decided on this. Yet another case where technical skill and musicianship are used to mask compositional weakness. They attempt to conceal the joins but the effect is like bread that falls apart when you try to spread. It's such a shame that they didn’t sustain the sweeping, majestic quality of the opening verse of the song, which is brilliant.

 

Headlong

The underlying lack of originality here is typical of Queen’s 1980s output.

 

These are the days of our lives http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOJPvxgkvn8

Hackneyed musical phrases and trite sentiments. Typical of popular culture.

 

All God's People http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OSGfGBM6hc

Not sure what to make of this. It’s a bit laboured but it's kind of interesting and imaginative. It works, just about.

 

The Hitman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qODPP4Bjvc8

Queen did a lot of this shallow stadium-Rock stuff in their later period. I’ve never understood what attracted them to it when they were capable of so much more.

 

The Show Must Go On

This a really beautiful song. I guess it’s OK to "borrow" the chord structure from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata but it irritates me when there’s no acknowledgement of the similarity and I just feel that there’s something slightly lazy about this practice. It ruins the song for me. The lyrics to Show Must go On are actually quite moving, though. Incidentally, the musical quotation from Ravel in Innuendo is entirely different - that's used merely to set the mood and tone of the piece - it functions as a springboard for Queen's own composition and I don't consider that a comparable example.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=g5yG1Dy5b4A

 

One of Sondheim's greatest songs ... Sung by one of our national treasures (who I will be seeing in concert the weekend of my birthday this fall).

 

Just when I'd stopped

Opening doors,

Finally knowing

The one that I wanted was yours,

Making my entrance again

With my usual flair,

Sure of my lines,

No one is there.

 

I enjoyed the Sondheim. Thanks for posting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I knew there was a reason I liked Queen..... okay, the music helped as well *grin*

 

Killer Queen

 

Not to forget the Freddie's voice (Check out Barcelona for proof), vocalisations, and use of multi tracks.

 

I Apologise if it has been listed before, but even if you are not a Queen fan, take a look. You WILL be either surprised, or delighted OR BOTH.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Queen was a great group............The best song for me is "Fat Bottomed Girls" that song rocks.

Now for best news AC/DC is releasing a new album in October called "Black Ice". I remember my first album was "Back in Black" right after Brian Johnson took over as the lead man after Bon Scott's passing................

I will be trying toget tickets for the AC/DC tour that starts on October 28th. I have heard they are playing in Tacoma and Seattle so far.................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funny you should mention AC/DC; am learning "Highway To Hell" on bass at the moment, and am doing pretty well - even if i do say so myself!! Am also teaching myself "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Tush" by ZZ Top. All three of these tunes are fairly easy to play, from a novice's standpoint, which is bloody handy!

 

Would list all the tunes I can play thus far, but I don't really want to blow my own proverbial trumpet...

 

UJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

 

Caught Kenny Loggins in concert a couple weeks ago. Awesome show -- And showmanship. He closed with this song ... One of my favorites.

 

Forever in my heart

Forever here you'll be

Even when I'm gone

You'll be near to me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...